


Conquest: Reboot

by stealthcl0wn



Series: The Conquest Saga [2]
Category: Hyperdimension Neptunia
Genre: F/F, Lesbians
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-13
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-04-09 02:00:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4329516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stealthcl0wn/pseuds/stealthcl0wn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nepgear survives the conquest ending, but at the cost of the lives of ALL of her friends. After defeating the Deity of Sin, some force resets the universe and she ends up in the post Re;birth 1 timeline. Everything is fine here, and all of her friends, whom she had just killed, are all fine. What's even stranger is that the Deity of Sin is here too, and she's gorgeous.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bad Ending

The skies were red, black clouds littering it. No wind, no breeze, no sign of life. Not even a detectable temperature.

Before her, the bodies of her friends and enemies.

"I'm the sole CPU of Gamindustri now" Nepgear told herself. "I'm the only one left."

Dropping the sword and collapsing back onto some stairs, Gear surveyed the damage Planeptune had suffered in the fight. The mighty carcass of the Deity of Sin was limp, slowly dissolving over the Basilicom. It was over, it was finally over.

Victory came at a hefty price, however. Killing the four CPUs and their sisters charged the sword, but the Deity of Sin required far more power to be truly vanquished. Thus, Nepgear made the decision she never wished to make. Travelling to each nation once more, Nepgear had to add the oracles to her sword. 

It was a depressingly easy task. Kei accepted it had to be done and willingly offered herself up to the sword. Mina admitted straight up that she hated Nepgear and didn't want to do it, but saw there was no choice. Then came Chika, who only uttered "do it" before Nepgear could even explain what was going on. Finally, Histoire. The tiny fairy gave Nepgear a gentle kiss on the forehead and a reassuring smile before her passing. A smile that would stick with Nepgear through to the end.

Facing the Deity of Sin, Nepgear prayed that the power within the blade was enough to defeat. Alas, it was not. While capable of _damaging_ the Deity of Sin, they were incapable of **destroying** it. The beast simply regenerated.

Faced with either the destruction of the world, or it's survival at the cost of many lives, Nepgear made her choice with great hesitance.

Nepgear killed her friends before the Deity of Sin's presence.

Unlike the abomination she had just slain, these bodies wouldn't dissolve so quickly. IF and Compa lay slumped together in the ruins of a small building, almost holding hands. Broccoli, Falcom, Cyberconnect2 and Tekken all lay around the battlefield, having resisted Nepgear's demands to the last. In an almost heartbreaking display, Cave and 5pb. were huddled into one another, as Cave's only wish was to ensure 5pb. didn't have to witness what was going on. They died together, after sharing a final first kiss.

And there, not far from where Nepgear was sitting, lay poor RED. After seeing all of her self-proclaimed wives dying, RED simply gave up and collapsed on the spot. Nepgear wasn't even sure she had any life force left to give.

As a result, Nepgear faced the Deity of Sin alone. At great cost, and with great effort, it was slain. In a desperation attack, the Deity of Sin sunk it's claws into Nepgear's leg, but that last move proved to be it's last, as it met the blade of the sword. It was dead. The Deity of Sin Arfoire was dead. Over. All over.

Slowly but surely, Nepgear grabbed the sword and climbed the stairs of the ruined Basilicom. There was nothing to do at this moment but rest.

With each step, Nepgear heard the commotion from outside.

With each step, it turned to chanting.

With each step, the chanting became adoring

"Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear!"

The people were chanting her name in celebration.

"Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear!"

They had no idea. Not a clue.

"Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear!"

Still dripping with blood, Nepgear pushed open the door to her room. Maybe it'd be best if she just... took a nap for a while.

Tossing the sword on the floor, Nepgear removed her boots and collapsed into her bed.

The chanting persisted.

"Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! SYSTEM REBOOTING"

Nepgear's consciousness slowly faded into rest, but the chanting carried on.

"Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! Nepgear! EXECUTING DIMENSIONAL SHIFT"

Sudden silence. Nepgear paid it no mind, it was nice to hear it stop.

The blowing of the wind. Completely fine, the Basilicom was high up anyway.

The sound of the ocean. Wait a minute.

"Nepgear? Nepgear? Yooooooooo wake up Nepgear"

Puzzled, Nepgear slowly opened her eyes, coming face to face with... **_NEPTUNE?!_**

Nepgear jumped back into the air, knocking over a beach chair and falling onto hard sand.

"I killed you, I KILLED YOU!" Nepgear screamed frantically, only to be met with a confused look from Neptune.

Her eyes adjusting to the light, Nepgear slowly took in the sight before her.

The skies were blue, with only a small handful of clouds. There was a light, gentle breeze, and it was incredibly warm, the sun radiating it's love from high in the sky.

"Here" being... a beautiful beach. In the distance, several blurry silhouettes were playing and relaxing.

Nepgear, in a trance-like state, lifted herself off of the sand and slowly approached the figures in the distance.

Compa... IF... Marvy... Cybercon... Broccoli... two girls that resembled 5pb. and Falcom... even Tekken. All the makers were here... but Nepgear killed them, right?

As if the universe was testing her, Nepgear made out even more silhouettes in the distance. Completely ignoring the confused makers, Nepgear sauntered towards the shapes in the distance.

Rom? Ram? Blanc?

VERT?

NOIRE?!

...Uni?

Uni.

**UNI**

Nepgear's walk quickly changed into a sprint, which then became a mad dash to be reunited with Uni. Closing in, Nepgear leaped into the air, hoping to tackle her love in a hug.

Only to be struck down by a volleyball coming down hard on her head, the force of it striking her straight down to the ground.

The last sight that blessed her eyes before she faded was a puzzled Uni kneeling and staring at her.


	2. New Game Plus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shh, you're dreaming.

_Are you okay? You took a nasty bump to the head._

_Who am I kidding? You'll be fine._

_You'll always be fine._

_Brought to a new but familiar world, free to do whatever you want._

_No conflict, no conquest, no fear._

_But only Neptune and Histoire know you personally._

_Everyone else? It's a blank slate really. Do whatever you want, this world will last for a long time._

_Just remember; I love you._

_Wake up, Nepgear_


	3. Early Game Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nepgear rises.

Recovering from her bizarre dream, Nepgear's consciousness slowly adapted to the world around her once more.

A soft bed, with equal firmness and bounce to it. Two quilts, one for snugness and another for insulation. A fluffy pillow, still reasonably poofy despite years of use. A plush toy on her right, and to her left was Neptune, sleeping soundly. All in all, a normal mor-

Neptune.

In her bed.

Neptune.

Alive. Breathing.

_Neptune. Alive._

As the realization came to her, so did feelings of panic and confusion. Was she dreaming, then? Was it all a joke of her mind? Was the smell of smoke and death just a fabrication? Were the scars fake, too?

...

The scars.

Removing herself from the bed, Nepgear flicked on a lamp and pulled back her nightwear. On her left thigh and knee were two large scares, evidently from a large bite attack. So it had definitely happened, but why was she here? 

Before she had time to react, a voice came from beside her.

"Nepgeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar, it's only 7am, doofus, go back to bed."

It was Neptune's voice. Her voice. Her lazy, uninterested, sleepy, ridiculous, beautiful voice. Her sister was alive, somehow? Was everyone else alive? Was the beach dream not a dream either? Was this... was this maybe another dimension?

Emotion began to well up in Nepgear's heart. Confusion, worry, love, adoration, panic, paranoia. Unable to contain it, Nepgear dived toward her sister and snuggled her tightly. Crying into the back of her head, Nepgear spouted a torrent of "I love you"s and "I missed you"s, punctuated with unintelligible blabbering.

To her surprise, Neptune didn't react with confusion. Turning around and cuddling her little sister into her chest, Neptune looked almost completely unsurprised.

"Didja have a bad dream, my little Nepgear?" Her tone implied this had happened before. Her smile was warm and carefree, and she was looking at her little sister lovingly.

Nepgear pulled back, took some deep breaths and tried her hardest to explain the situation without crying. What she thought had happened, the dream of the beach, the idea that she might be in another dimension. Once more, Neptune surprised Nepgear.

The surprise being that Neptune seemed _amused_. She was even laughing a little.

"Nepgear you silly little dogoo. That totally wasn't a dream; you ran at Uni like you were running for your life, but Noire hit you with a volleyball so hard like BAM and you got KO'd. It was kinda cute, but I had to drag you under the shade otherwise you would've got toasted."

So Uni was definitely alive as well...

"And about that other dimension stuff. I totally think your brain is just going a bit loopy but you should totally talk to Arfy about that. Her and Histy are reaaaaaaaaaallllllllllyyyyyyyyyyy into it."

Nepgear was puzzled by that last comment. What's an Arfy?

"Um... Neptune? What do you mean by Arfy?"

Neptune finally looked confused for once. "Arfy? The tall girl with the platinum hair and silly outfit who loves Histoire? Arfoire, right?"

Did she just say **_Arfoire_**? The Deity of Sin? No way. No way at all.

Before she could get up to go find this "Arfy", she was drawn back into Neptune's embrace, with her sister immediately going back to sleep once her little sister was secured.

"I guess I can treasure a few more hours with my sister. I never thought I would."


	4. Mrs. Exposition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nepgear meets Arfoire.

Nepgear expected to meet a vile, disgusting monstrosity when she came face to face with Arfoire. An awful creature, emanating fear and loathing. A living paradox, corrupting all around it. The Deity of Sin.

The woman sitting across from her calmly sppping tea was anything but monstrous. Gorgeous flowing platinum hair and a wonderful figure were the first signs she wasn't evil.

Then came her face. She was absolutely gorgeous. Soft skin, with welcoming blue eyes and a gaze that often felt maternal and protective. Was this really this dimension's Deity of Sin?

"So, you think you came from another dimension?" Arfoire's voice was deep and inquisitive, but it was lacking malice or annoyance, and it was certain that she was concerned instead.

"Yes. I... I remember killing all of my friends to stop the Deity of Sin. There was a sword, a strange sword that fed on life energy. I... killed everyone to feed it so we could win. I remember going to bed, still injured, and falling asleep. When I woke up, I was here, and the sword was gone." Nepgear tried her hardest to stay stoic, but the memory of her friend's faces as they died kept cropping up.

Arfoire's expression was that of a puzzlement. It seemed as though she were deeply considering Nepgear's words.

After a few moments of silence, Arfoire sat her cup on the table and rose from her seat, moving to a nearby bookcase and flicking through various books. Stopping on a purple tome with gold linings, Arfoire sat back down and browsed the pages.

Coming to a sudden halt, Arfoire's expression turned sour.

"I'm not sure how to put this, or if it's even what happened. However, I just want to say that I totally believe you. Why, you may ask? Dimension theory suggests that if a dimension has no Goddesses at all, it will collapse. The more religious sects of that theory believe that the strongest Goddess of that dimension will be reincarnated in another one. It does sound ridiculous, but it also matches up with your story and I'm certain that Histy wrote part of this book too." Arfoire's words had become sullen, and mournful.  
Rising from her seat once more, Arfoire approached Nepgear and knelt down beside her. Picking up one of her hands, the protectiveness in Arfoire's eyes shined bright. Arfoire spoke with the softness only a mother could produce. "If this is truly the case, I ask that you try to find happiness here as much as possible. Please come to me if anything about what you did troubles you, I am here to help." Arfoire patted Nepgear's face before standing up once more.

"Before I go, however, I need to ask one last question. What was the name of that sword?"

Nepgear racked her brain looking for the answer. Excalibur? No. Durandal? No? Geha... Gehaburn? No no no. Valhaburn. That was the name, the Valhaburn.

"Miss Arfoire, it was called the Valhaburn."

Arfoire's expression grew a little colder at the utterance of that word.

"I see, hrm. In any case, please take some time to rest yourself emotionally. Here, you have only existed for a year, and in a way so have I. This world has known nothing but peace since then, and we are all friends here. You've not interacted with those outside the Basilicom much, however. If you wish to... re-do some relationships, now is your chance to do so. Your first priority is your wellbeing however, and I will do whatever you need to make you feel more comfortable here. Oh and, please call me just Arfoire or Arfy, I'm not big on formalities." Arfoire let out a smile at Nepgear. It was bright enough to bring one out of the Purple Sister too.

A world that is basically perfect, with no conflict, war or threats. Everyone is alive. Everyone is happy. Nepgear thought of everyone she could go and meet. Should she go to Uni, first? Maybe spend more time with her sister?

No, actually. Nepgear was going to go visit this world's Vert.


	5. Establishing Character Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nepgear meets Vert. Again.

_Kill me, Nepgear. I don't deserve to die like this_

Nepgear had trouble getting some rest on the tram ride to Leanbox. This dimension, apparently labelled "Superdimension" according to Arfoire, was suspended high in the sky. As a result, tram rides were necessary for mortals to traverse nations. Of course, Nepgear was no mortal, but for some reason she'd been unable to transform ever since arriving in Superdimension. She discovered this the hard way; dramatically leaping from a ledge to transform, only to fall and land smack bang on an approaching tram, whilst terrifying the occupants inside. It's not every day a goddess rocks your tram. After clearing up that embarrassment, Nepgear had no option left but to hop in a tram to Leanbox. All things considered, the trams were rather cozy. They were stable, and barely responded to the presence of the wind. The cabin was heated and the chairs were comfortably padded for those that wish to rest.

Nepgear couldn't rest. Every time she shut her eyes, she either relived the deaths of her friends or saw... **something** lurking in the darkness, staring at her with bright white eyes, almost radiating light. The light from them was almost comforting, but there was an inhuman darkness lurking from within, and all Nepgear could feel was a powerful hatred. The dream was always the same; nothing but blackness and the cold feeling of dread, followed by **those** eyes gazing at her. She would always wake up before the presence could do anything.

The tram ride was ultimately uneventful. Nepgear gave up on sleeping halfway through the journey and instead browsed this dimension's internet on her N-Gear. She found out quite a bit about the Superdimension during her search; This dimension is unaware of dimensional travel, but monsters are more of a problem. Garbage dumps and landfills don't exist, for **obvious** reasons. However, there are strong concerns about Lastation's pollution levels compared to the other 3 nations, and some have even complained that it's affecting neighbouring nations. Little else was found that could be useful, however. The only other notable thing was that this dimension has less creepy Nepgear fansites, which set her at ease.

**KA-CLUNK**

The tram docked itself noisily in the station, and within half a minute the doors had opened. The Leanbox tram station was radically different from Planeptune's; Planeptune's tram station was a cutting edge, shiny station with several facilities and even a book store. Leanbox's was much simpler, with a little cafe opposite the ticket station and a bunch of stalls. The same could be said of Leanbox itself, too. Simple houses, smooth stone roads, muted colours, and an abundance of nature clashed heavily with Planeptune's off-beat design, bright colour scheme, and technological dominance. It was almost peaceful.

Nepgear's walk through Leanbox was almost therapeutic. The path to the Basilicom cut through several parks, a lightly packed forest, and a small village, before finally arriving in the capital. This kind of peaceful, simple scenery was never present in Nepgear's dimension. There was the forest behind Planeptune, but that was that. The rest of the world was either barren, or filled with monsters. Nepgear's daydreams were interrupted by the sight of Leanbox's Basilicom.

It was... small. Not grandiose and skyscraper-esque like the ones in the other nations. Vert's was more akin to a smaller cathedral. The doors were even unguarded. Nepgear ascended the steps and entered the Basilicom and gently opened the door, somewhat afraid of the idea that maybe the Basilicom _wasn't even open_

Thankfully, a small, unassuming- **"IF!?"** Nepgear screamed

"Oh, hey Nepgear, what brings you here?" IF said unperturbed. It was as if she hadn't even noticed Nepgear's surprise.

_Come on, Nepgear, you're hesitating. Neptune wouldn't have wanted you to hesitate._

Thousands of thoughts flashed through Nepgear's mind. Her head turned light, her sweat cold, and her skin blistering red. She passed out in the main hall, eyes wide open.

**Later**

Nepgear had passed out completely. Her mind was too blank to even dream, which was a gift at this stage. Nepgear had a new problem, however: She had no idea where she was. She had evidently been taken care of, as she was tucked in gently to a nice bed with a wooden frame. The air conditioning was set so that Nepgear had adequately cooled down, and there was a bottle of water and a little cake beside her bed. She'd arrived at 4pm, and the sun was already setting, so she figured out that she'd been asleep for roughly an hour. Her thinking was interrupted by a gentle knock on the door, which startled the Purple Sister.

"I... uh, come in!" She said, deep in anxiety.

The door opened slowly, and a familiar set of blue eyes peaked around.

_Vert is gone. What left do I have to live for? Get it over with_

Dread filled Nepgear's mind, but she did not fall this time.

"Why hello Nepgear, you took quite the fall. Are you doing okay? I was worried" Vert's tone backed up her words, as she was clearly speaking from a place of concern.

"I..." Nepgear considered telling Vert the truth. "I'm fine, I just forgot to eat and I walked pretty far, so exhaustion hit me". Nepgear gave a smile, but it was completely forced and quite nervous.

Vert smiled in turn, this one a genuine, warm smile. "That's good. Now, what brings you all the way to Leanbox?"

Nepgear only now realized that failing to tell Vert the truth invalidates the entire reason she came here: To find her way around a new dimension... But Vert doesn't need to know the part about dimensions, does she?

"Well, it dawned on me that I've been couped up in Planeptune since I was born, with only a passing visit to other countries. Since you're always visiting everyone, I assumed you're well traveled... So uh... would you be willing to show me around?"

Vert gave a delighted smile, and clasped her hands together in joy. "Why what a surprise, I've always wanted to get to know the candidates some more! If you're up for it, my wife and I will take you out tomorrow."

"Sure, wait- Your wife?" The Vert of Nepgear's dimension never had a wife. Chika, perhaps?

"Oh, I thought you already met IF" Vert said, quite puzzled. Nepgear had met IF before, yeah, but she had no idea they were **married**.

"Oh right, my mistake. Sorry!" Nepgear replied, quite sheepish and feeling kind of silly to boot.

"It's no bother. Go for a walk and get some rest, and tomorrow we'll head out, okay?" Vert smiled, patted Nepgear's head, and left the room.

Once Vert's footsteps faded, Nepgear got out of bed, put her shoes on, and left the Basilicom. The backdoor of Vert's Basilicom led to a beautiful lake snuggled in between two huge forests. Nepgear slowly strolled around the lake, gathering her thoughts and occasionally skipping stones into the water. Eventually the moon rose, and spread its light over the lake. Nepgear sat down on a bench, and gazed up at it.

It reminded her of home, and how the moon would cover the city center of Planeptune in such a beautiful light... was this her home now? Was Arfoire right? Was her dimension truly lost? Questions kept running through Nepgear's mind, slowly filling her with a sense of fear and dread. She could only look at the moon as she thought. Nepgear stood up, in the hopes she could look closely at it... she kept looking at the moon even as she walked into the lake.

In her mind, Nepgear was panicking. Screaming, trashing, begging for help. But her body would not obey. It lay dormant as her conscience faded. Soon, panic faded to nothingness.

Nepgear awoke in an empty black void; a familiar black void. Beneath her feet, she could feel stone. All she could do was walk... walk... walk...

Hours seemed to pass, until a familiar presence crept up on her. Nepgear turned around and... eyes. Those familiar white eyes.

This time, they weren't waiting. They were running, and _**why did you let me die Nepgear**_


	6. Contrasting Sequel Main Character

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nepgear is completely fine.

The oppressive blackness of sleep faded, and Nepgear woke up on the park bench with the lukewarm grasp of the morning sun touching her face. She looked at her watch: 6:15am. Vert was likely still in bed.  _Were the events of the night prior a hallucination?_ She thought. She  _was_  completely dry, her clothes having not the faintest hint of dampness. Regardless, Vert would be awake soon and she didn’t wish to keep Leanbox’s CPU waiting.

Nepgear stood up, yawned, stretched, and set off back towards the Basilicom. The glow of the sun illuminated the building, giving it an ethereal orange aura. The cool Leanbox air nipped at Nepgear’s skin, but it was not unpleasant. In a way, the cold morning walk was almost therapeutic. It was a far cry from Planeptune’s mornings: They were almost never cold, except in the deeper winters, and Nepgear occasionally returned home from a walk covered in sweat. But Leanbox was different; gentle, and peaceful even.

Nepgear’s mind began to drift, thinking of one very notable walk with Neptune. Why was the walk notable? Neptune never went morning walks with Nepgear. She was never awake, though it didn’t take a genius to know that was the reason. One day, however, Neptune was up bright and early. She was eating pudding in the living room, flicking through the (admittedly dire) morning cartoons. Neptune caught sight of her sister, and cheerily offered a walk. Nepgear got dressed, brushed her hair, and the two sisters departed.  
The two purple sisters ventured quite far from the Basilicom to a small hill overlooking one of Planeptune’s many villages. Neptune was practically giving Nepgear a tour; every single thing they passed, Neptune had something to offer. A story, a bit of insight, a joke, or sometimes just a memory. She seemed uncharacteristically during their walk, as if it’d be their last. Nepgear shrugged it off at the time, but a year later on that same hill, Neptune would meet her end at Nepgear’s sword.

The two sat down by a large, old tree. It was the tallest tree in Planeptune. Neptune had lovingly called it “Vert”, as it was incredibly tall and wide but was in fact quite hollow. Vert did not take kindly to that.   
“Hey, Nepgear?” asked Neptune quietly.   
“Yeah, Neptune?”  
“Do you think you’ll be like this forever?”  
“Like what forever?” replied Nepgear, puzzled.  
“Mulling over your past failures, **_like watching the life drain from my eyes when you killed me._** ” Neptune growled, her voice now echoing.  
  
Nepgear snapped back to reality, in a daze. She steadied herself, only _barely_ stopping herself from falling face first into the stairs to the Basilicom. _What was that?_ She thought, both deeply confused and deeply worried. She shook her head, ignored the thought, and entered the Basilicom. The soothing warmth of the lobby contrasted heavily with the cold outside, and for a moment Nepgear felt at home. Despite being an “official” building, the lobby for Leanbox’s Basilicom was quite humble, it was delightful.

At the front desk stood IF, who was in the process of stamping numerous documents, wearing the same facial expression one would wear after having their soul sucked out and sold at a children’s art fair for $5. She heard Nepgear enter, and her head jolted upwards, her expression immediately changing to a warm one.  
“Nepgear! I take it you were out a walk?” IF asked, evidently excited to speak to another person.  
“Yeah, I usually go out for early morning walks. What about you? What’s Vert got you doing?” Though she wouldn’t show it, Nepgear was still nervous talking to IF, considering she’d previously murdered her.  
“Every quarter we do citizen requests. Essentially, citizens can put in a request to Vert. Grants for projects, materials for refurbishing or reconstruction, you get the idea. I’m just stamping the approved ones…” IF looked down and signed “…all 400 of them. Please kill me.”  
Nepgear began visibly sweating.  
“Anyway.” IF looked back up “I think I hear Vert getting ready. She should be down soon. You can take a seat over by the fire. Don’t worry, it’s not a real fire.” IF smiled, before grimacing down at the pile of forms she had to stamp.

Nepgear nodded nervously and sat down on one of the comfy fabric chairs that were dotted around the lobby. She opened her phone with a ding, and began searching through recent news. This dimension was rather uneventful, and the most interesting bit of local news was that some fiend in Lowee keeps digging up corpses for profit purposes. _Huh…_ Nepgear thought _…So that’s the new Metroid game._

**CLUNK.**

The sound of a door closing woke Nepgear from her phone-induced trance.  
“Goooooooooood morning, Nepgear! Shall we get going?” Vert asked in a sing-song voice.  
“Absolutely!” Nepgear responded promptly, if a bit nervously.  
Vert beamed a smile, pecked IF on the cheek, and then the three departed the Basilicom. 7:45am, and the world was beginning to wake. People were rushing to work, kids were dejectedly trudging towards school, and the pleasant aroma of food carts preparing for the day littered the air. In the days leading up the Deity of Sin’s appearance (and death), all atmosphere had drained from the 4 nations. Stuff like… _this_ was practically alien by the time it ended. It was refreshing, in a sense.  
Vert took Nepgear to all manner of places; Leanbox’s trillion merch stores, all of the strange food places the local library, the Leanbox stadium (which was mostly used for E3), the lake, and the most important of all: The Leanbox Catacombs. Despite the ominous name, the Catacombs were in fact an archive for lost, niche, rare, or games no longer being sold. Or, in some instances, Rare™. It was a majestic glass structure situated in a field, and powered with nothing but solar energy! There were many things lurking within: Ancient Lowee games, a few games and a console from a potentially made up nation called “Tari”, a lot of Lastation shovelware that Noire is constantly begging Vert to destroy, some VERY offensive Lowee games that Blanc insists aren’t real, Beth-san’s integrity, and the crucified, still living body of Rare™. One thing Nepgear had noticed was that the citizens acted so… normally towards Vert. In Planeptune, both her Planeptune and this Planeptune, people got on their knees and prayed if a Goddess strolled around. But in Leanbox? People smiled and waved, as if Vert was an old friend.

Their fun adventure, however, took a turn for the bizarre on the way back to the Basilicom. The trio had been out for quite some time, and had decided to return to the Basilicom to catch some Z’s and eat. As they reached the Basilicom gates, a crash echoed through the air. Behind them, a Behemoth had spawned. But not the average Behemoth, no. This one was sick, dying, and almost _diseased_. It huffed, heaved, and prepared to charge, but the minute it prepared to run, it collapsed over. Dead.  
Nepgear prepared to investigate, but she was surprised by a guest: Arfoire.  
The tall, silver-haired woman descended from the sky, collapsed her wings, and took Nepgear aside.  
  
“Nepgear… dear, it appears we have a problem.” She said grimly.  
“A… a problem?” Gear asked cautiously.  
“Indeed… Let’s just call it a…” Arfoire turned, and looked away for a second. “Let’s call it a call from home: From the Zetadimension.”


	7. Bad Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arfoire reveals something to Nepgear.

“Zetadimension?” Nepgear asked.  
“The dimension you once called home. It’s not entirely gone… but…” Arfoire sighed. “It’s better you see for yourself.”

Nepgear nodded. She went to hug Vert and IF goodbye, and received a peck on the cheek from the two for her politeness. After that, Nepgear took Arfoire’s hand, and the two flew back towards Planeptune. The journey took a mere 10 minutes, in part due to Arfoire’s incredibly speed. Though, there were several near-misses with flocks of birds.

The pair landed on the CPU’s balcony, and quickly made their way down… and down… and down… _and down… **and down…** How many floors does this Basilicom HAVE?_ Nepgear thought, her knees close to breaking from all the stairs. Her question was soon answered: The two stopped at floor B50, which was a seemingly normal office room. At least, it appeared that way until Arfoire pulled three books out in a rhythm and the desk bookcase sunk into the wall, revealing a dimly lit staircase.

“I must warn you, it gets quite stuffy in here.” Arfoire said jokingly… or so Nepgear thought. She could never quite tell.  
Arfoire led Nepgear down the stairs, then into a hallway, which finally opened up into a rather large, futuristic looking room with a holographic map in the dead center. At the sides stood two girls; One with long pink pigtails and an eyepatch, and another one with green hair and a mouse hoodie.  
“These are my helpers, Linda and Magic.” Arfoire extended a hand, pointing to the respective name so Nepgear would (hopefully) not mix them up. In turn, the two girls waved and smiled at Nepgear, who returned the favour.  
“This is our base of sorts. ASIC: Arfoire Syndicate of Intradimensional Control. We monitor other dimensions here, though we haven’t had to intervene. Until now.” Arfoire walked over to a console besides the holographic map, looked around, and hit two small buttons on the right side. 

In the center, a video feed appeared, showing off a barren landscape coated in ruins. The sky was an oh-so-familiar shade of red, dotted with black clouds and a near constant stream of thunder. This was the remnants of Nepgear’s home dimension. The Leanbox Basilicom was visible off in the distance, now folded in on itself.   
“This is what... what remains of my world?” Nepgear asked, her voice weak and shaky.  
Arfoire nodded. Magic walked over to Nepgear, and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. There was a grim silence, the same silence that would linger at a funeral. Said silence was broken by the door whirring open.   
“Indeed it is.” a familiar voice: Histoire. “It’s falling apart quite rapidly. We’ve estimated that within three weeks, the dimension will cease to exist entirely.”  
“However.” Arfoire chimed in. “You mentioned a sword, but that never came with you. Linda, Magic and I were planning to mount an expedition to that dimension to destroy it, if it’s as powerful as you say it is.”  
Nepgear’s eyes went wide. With shock? With fear? With confusion? Who knew? One thing was for certain: She was definitely not comfortable with the idea.  
“That sword is evil. You- You shouldn’t even go _near_ it. Just let the dimension fade into nothing, and the sword with it” She said, her voice now trembling.  
Arfoire sighed. She figured Nepgear would react this way.  
“We considered that, but if we destroy it, we might be able to preserve the dimension, or at the very least, rescue survivors. You don’t have to come if you don’t want to, but we don’t know just what kind of negative effects letting the sword linger could have. And furthermore-“

Arfoire was interrupted by the blaring of an alarm. Monsters had popped up en masse in all four nations.   
“Furthermore… we think the sword is causing monsters from that dimension to bleed into yours. I think you should go help.”  
Nepgear nodded, and ran off to the Basilicom entrance. Arfoire, Linda and Magic got to working in ASIC’s control center to begin the transportation.

Planeptune’s streets were flooded, but the Planeptune Protection Force was putting up a valiant effort. In the distance, Nepgear spied Purple Heart duelling some dragons. She drew her saber and waded into the tide of monsters, cutting and slashing through them like a sword through a hot sword through air. There were so many, and the violence was so intense, that it was almost… intoxicating. _It could drive a man mad, **just like it drove you mad, didn’t it Nepgear?!**_ Dizziness overtook Nepgear, long enough for a particularly strong dogoo to knock her into a wall. Her sword drifted away, and the impact from colliding with the wall almost knocked her unconscious. Her mind began to drift, continually coming closer to the void that is unconsciousness.

But not her body. Her body began to twitch and shake. Her legs bended, and stood up on their own. Her torso bent itself upright, and her arms readied themselves in a combat position. Her eyes looked dead ahead, and she shut them as she felt an overpowering warmth resonate inside her. Yet, it was not Nepgear doing this.

“EXECUTE HARD DRIVE DIVINITY!”

A warmth of bright light enveloped Nepgear, and when it dissipated, Purple Sister had returned to the world.

The monsters never stood a chance. Nepgear was warping around at the speed of light, stabbing, slashing and blasting like Protoman on meth. In just 20 minutes, the horde of monsters besieging Planeptune had been rendered into dust. The transformation had, however, drained Nepgear’s energy for the day. As the last monster fell, Nepgear forcibly detransformed and collapsed into a pile on the concrete. Neptune rushed over to her side immediately, a smile beaming on her face.  
“Ya did it Nepgear! You transformed! You transformed before Uni, Rom _or_ Ram. I’m so darn proud of you.” Neptune scooped her little sister up and gave her the strongest of snuggles, but Nepgear had already fallen sound asleep. Faced with little else to do, Neptune carried her sister to the Basilicom against the backdrop of a thousand cheering citizens.

NEPGEAR! NEPGEAR! NEPGEAR! NEPGEAR! NEPGEAR! NEPGEAR! NEPGEAR! NEPGEAR! NEPGEAR! NEPGEAR! NEPGEAR! NEPGEAR! NEPGEAR! NEPGEAR! NEPGEAR! NEPGEAR! NEPGEAR! NEPGEAR! NEPGEAR! NEPGEAR! NEPGEAR!

_I’ll be seeing you again, real soon. Sleep tight, mother._


End file.
